Chow Meng Cheng, a retired hawker who spent roughly S$3 for aloe vera gel and a digital ticket for nasi lemak on e-commerce site Lazada, has recently won a 1-bedroom condominium unit in Normanton Park. The condo is a freebie co-sponsored by property broker PropNex and valued at S$1 million.
Lazada customers had to gather ‘Golden Keys’ by completing activities and playing an in-app game in order to enter the fortunate draw. Referring friends to the game Lazzie Star and purchasing the PropNex version of Monopoly from the shop are two of the tasks. The odds of winning the apartment improved as consumers gathered more keys.
The draw fell on November 11 this year, which is a multi-billion dollar online shopping extravaganza hosted by major e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and Shopee.
According to media sources, Mr. Chow supported his family of five by selling fish noodle soup for over 30 years. Following his daughter’s introduction to the game, dad started to learn how to play the Lazzie Star game, which she was also enjoying.
Chow had already earned five Golden Keys by the time he reached level 25 in the game. Chow was able to obtain the winning golden key in the game after spending just S$3.41 on aloe vera gel and a digital ticket for nasi lemak.
His reward, a one-bedroom condominium apartment in Normanton Park, is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in early 2023. It is a vast 99-year leasehold project with 1862 units on 661,005 sq ft of land developed by Kingsford Huray Development. Kent Ridge MRT is the closest MRT station.
A 1-bedroom flat in the opulent condominium may range in size from 484-651 square feet, with a current average psf price of S$1,900.
Given that the average psf price of Chow’s winning 1-bedroom flat has increased by 8.75 percent since launch, he may want to hang on to it.
When contacted by the Lazada team, Chow said that he was astonished by his victory and originally mistook it for a hoax. However, since the epidemic started, he’s been utilizing e-commerce applications like Lazada and making more online purchases of everyday essentials. What Chow will do with his winnings is a matter for him and his family to determine.
If Chow already owns a property, such as a HDB apartment or a private home, he will be liable to the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD), which is 12 percent of the property value (for Singapore residents) and 15 percent (for non-Singapore citizens) if the Normanton Park condo is his second home (for Singapore PRs). There will be stamp charges to pay as well. If he sells his first home within six months of Normanton Park receiving its Temporary Occupancy Permit (TOP) or Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC), whichever comes first, he may apply for ABSD remission.
Giving away a condo property as a reward is nothing new. In fact, six months ago, in May 2021, Hong Kong tycoons – organized through property developer Sino Group’s Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings Limited – held a lottery to give away a HK$10.8 million (S$1.836 million) flat to encourage more people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. When the lottery was announced, the number of jab reservations skyrocketed.
A 35-year-old Hong Kong chef called Lee was the final winner of the Grand Central condominium in Cheung Sha Wan. “When I initially was alerted that I was the winner of the Phase 1 Lucky Draw, I was very delighted and happy since I had never anticipated that I would have the luck to win the Grand Prize!” Lee remarked in an interview.
Twenty additional winners received a credit card with a stored value of HK$100,000 (S$17,412) apiece, including a Filipina domestic servant, a French student (who was studying in Hong Kong), a manicurist, a medical practitioner, and a pastry chef.
